Danger: Lottery Mentality

by Roger Alexander

There is a mental disorder spreading through our society which
could destroy your aikido and your life. It's the "lottery
mentality": the desire for unearned success. We read about
it every day - a man wins the lottery and is set for life, or
a woman wins a lawsuit and never has to work again. The mere
thought of unearned success brings a smile to our faces - the
new American Dream! You're thinking, "So what's wrong with
winning the lottery, and what does it have to do with my aikido?"
There may be nothing wrong with winning the lottery; however,
the pursuit of unearned success which it represents can be a
danger to all aspects of your life, including your aikido practice.
If someone offered you the chance to buy a lottery ticket with
the opportunity to "win" the secret to mastering the
art of aikido, you would laugh and walk away. Or would you?

We have all heard students ask sensei to advise them how
to improve their technique, only to receive an invitation to
practice. At a recent clinic, Clark Sensei offered to reveal
his key ("ki") to improving your aikido. Everyone turned
on their mental recorders to digitize this shortcut to success.
He proceeded to suggest that each of us perform the kihon no
kata, including the weapon katas fifteen times a week for two
years. You could hear the collective disappointment. He was telling
us the key to improvement was commitment to our practice. Heck,
we already knew that! Anybody can succeed if they are committed
to hard work and practice. But we want the secret to unearned
success. We want to win the lottery.

I witnessed an example of the lottery mentality during
a recent exchange between an amateur golfer and a professional.
The pro was hitting practice balls when the amateur walked up
and began to watch. The pro was known to have hit a thousand
balls a day in his youth, and is still considered one of the
most dedicated professionals on the tour. The amateur finally
approached the pro, introduced himself and began to explain how
much he enjoyed golf, but was unable to improve his game. Then
he asked the pro to give him a tip that would help improve his
score. The pro looked up from his practice, and advised the man
that he should hit at least five hundred balls a day. The man
stood there in stunned silence while the pro returned to his
practice. After a few minutes, the man regained his composure
and interupted the pro to tell him that he didn't have time to
hit that many balls, and all he wanted was a tip that would help
him beat his buddies on the weekend. The pro stopped, took a
step toward the man and told him in no uncertain terms that golf
is a difficult skill to master, and he didn't have time to give
tips to anyone who didn't have time to practice. The man walked
away in embarrassment, and hasn't been seen at the practice range
since.

We understand the difference between an amateur and a professional.
However, our tendency is to excuse the amateur's lack of commitment,
and by implication approve of his desire for unearned success.
It's OK for someone to hit a thousand balls a day if they want
to be a professional golfer, or do a thousand bokken cuts a day
if they want to become a sensei, but the rest of us should be
satisfied with our chances of winning the lottery. The "lottery
mentality" practiced in one part of our life will soon spread
to other aspects of our life like a cancer. Without recognition
of this disorder, we will soon be wasting our energy chasing
"lottery tickets" rather than committing to our everyday
practice.